


the missing fa

by winterants



Category: Hinatazaka46 (Band)
Genre: Basically everyone appears - Freeform, Gen, and she is guilty about it, audrey also appears, author is spreading her kikutoshi agenda, basically these are the main cast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterants/pseuds/winterants
Summary: with the appearance of a famous setter in their team, Hinata High's Girls Volleyball Club is going to go through an insane change
Relationships: Katou Shiho/Sasaki Kumi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. something new

**Author's Note:**

> after a month.............. this thing is finally done. 
> 
> this is for the infamous tbs-pensai, whose [ artwork](https://twitter.com/theblueslope/status/1272550422591332352) made me go feral (doesn't help i've been in haikyuu mode for some time) and imagined what would happen if kumi tried to spike into kasuga's face.

Act 1: Of New Beginnings

Miyata’s heart accelerated as if she had just finished a triathlon. Which is a very dramatic way to express her current situation, since she is not really what a person would consider to be a sports-maniac type of a person. It’s ironic, really. She could really feel all the adrenaline running in her blood despite the fact at that very moment, all she was doing was just standing beside Takase as they waited for their newly appointed captain to start their first meeting of the year. 

It is also her first day as a manager of Hinatazaka’s Girls Volleyball Club. Yes, a manager. Not a player. But a manager. 

All it took to convince her to join this club instead of the literature club was that she would get to meet more girls in these matches than she would in the literature club. It was an odd reason indeed, but then again, Takase was also constantly chasing after her to convince her in joining. And while she had rejected the latter’s offers the first three times- she wasn’t some inhuman beast to continue ignoring the endless pleas. 

After everyone had gathered inside the gym, the captain -if her assumption is correct- stood up out of the blue. A sincere, senpai-like smile plastered gleefully on her face as she greeted everyone in front of her. 

“To the 1st years and newcomers, welcome! To the 2nd and 3rd year members, it’s nice to see you guys again! I’m Sasaki Kumi, the captain of the volleyball club.” The others clapped along before she continued her speech. “Last year was a hectic year for us, huh? It was our first debut in Interhigh! I’d say we did pretty well last year, despite practicing in a really short period of time…” Her voice had slowly grown softer by the end of the previous sentence. 

It was a fact that everyone in school knew. The volleyball club was formed 3 years before but never had the chance to make their appearance in any tournaments at all because of reasons that only the higher-ups knew. All they did for their club activities was being a spectator during the matches. Sincerely speaking, those who were part of the club were just people who wanted to get easy credits for university application purposes. 

“But this year will be different! The school  **_finally_ ** gave us a new club advisor AND a coach. I already met with them beforehand- they’re nice people. But, I must warn you- please don’t judge them from their appearance.” 

The only reason they were able to appear last year was because of the vice-captain at that time (which is indeed, current Captain Sasaki) constantly begging the teachers to let them participate. The higher-ups said it was a waste of budget, time and energy on both sides. Most of the teachers bet that they wouldn’t even last a full set with the current condition of the team.

But, Miyata did hear from others that they actually managed to advance into the next two rounds- that is until they were up against one of the powerhouses in Tokyo. 

“With the amount of things we’re getting from the school, I just want to be really clear about my goal during the next Interhigh: this year, I want to get revenge from losing to Keyaki.” 

Only the mention of the school was enough for the 2nd and 3rd years to be in a somber situation. Miyata didn’t remember the final score well, but she recalled that the defeat had utterly humiliated them in front of the whole audience. Which makes her wonder how good is their new coach and her realising that their captain is very determined in getting that said revenge. “It’s not an easy route, but I hope that we can become a powerful team and show the crowd that we’re as strong as them too.” 

Captain Sasaki has a good way with her words- Miyata noted. The meeting went on to the senpais introducing themselves to the newcomers. There were a few notable juniors with volleyball experience from middle school. She also saw some familiar faces of people from the class next to hers. This would be interesting. 

When it was time for her to introduce herself, Miyata did it with high spirits as the adrenaline finally soared free from her. 

“My name is Miyata Manamo. I’m in Class 2-6. I’ll be a manager for the team from now on! Nice to meet you!” 

Her brightness was replied with more claps and exciting smiles. Maybe she wouldn’t regret joining this club instead. 

The door to the gymnasium opened abruptly. The whole team turned towards the source of the commotion, eyebrows raised in curiosity at the sight of one of the men standing at the door. One of them is Wakabayashi Sensei- Miyata’s Japanese literature teacher who kept on talking about unneeded things as he kept on praising Class 2-5 instead of talking about more serious matters, like their syllabus. The other one,,,, she has never seen her in school before. Who is that?

“Um, excuse me.” A voice from the 2nd year students suddenly pipped out. “I think it’s against school law for outsiders to enter school grounds without permission. Also, your outfit is something that would really tempt us to call the community police and file a report..” Captain Sasaki had to stifle her laugh as the said man’s expression darkened immediately. Wakabayashi Sensei only howled in amusement at the remark. 

Wait a minute- It can’t be- 

“I’ve been telling him to wear something more fitting to the theme. But he insisted on meeting you guys with the pink vest and white tights.” Wakabayashi Sensei explained after he had calmed down from his hyena-like laughter. “Anyway, this is Kasuga Toshiaki. He’s an old friend of mine. Also, he’s your new volleyball coach.” 

“Toos! I’m Kasuga Toshiaki, and from today onwards, I’ll be the new coach for Hinata High’s Girls Volleyball Club!”

The whole gym became eerily quiet as all of the members tried to process the new information. 

Act 2: Member Introduction (Third Years)

Captain Sasaki Kumi (not to be confused with the other Sasaki who is in Class 2-4) is the type of woman that men would be afraid to date, but at the same time would want to date, or even get married to. 

She’s diligent, knows her way to win people’s hearts with her words, is quite similar to a spartan-themed leader in terms of volleyball practices and most importantly, very optimistic. Being the tallest in the team, opponents are afraid when Captain Sasaki is in the front line with second-year players Miho and Mirei. Individually, they aren’t as powerful as Nogi’s blockers, but it was when they were in the front lines that Hinata had managed to pick up a few points during their match with Keyaki last year. Outside of volleyball, Captain Sasaki is a very well-known student among the teachers. One is because of her good results (being in the most advanced class in school) and good personality with everyone. 

The other reason is because of her begging the principal to let them join Interhigh to a terrifying extent where she warned him that she would spread a dangerous picture to everyone that can shatter the principal’s reputation.

To summarise the captain, she’s scary, but in a good way.

Vice captain Ushio Sarina is the exact opposite of Sasaki. Very soft-spoken. Very, very kind to literally everyone. (even  _ Kasuga _ , much to the captain’s dismay) She knows how to cheer up the mood when things go downhill. Along with Captain, Ushio’s optimistic vibes was also one of the reasons that pushed Hinata to fight until the end during their eventful match against Keyaki. The two are close, being classmates and also captain and vice-captain in the same club. Despite being a third year and the vice-captain, Ushio gave up her middle-blocker position to be in the starting lineup as she still blamed herself for being one of the main reasons on how Keyaki managed to rack up so many points in the first set. Compared to Sasaki, she is weaker in her receives, but her game sense and strategy is something that the team needs a lot. 

While Kosaka is the one who sets for her hitters, Ushio is the one that plans various backup strategies from behind the scenes. 

Saito Kyoko is what Miyata would describe as a huge, powerful hurricane in the mess which is the volleyball club. Outside of the club, she would be this very (disgustingly) cute and adorable senpai that would try to speak in a very cutesy tone to everyone. But once she steps into the gym, her personality goes through a 180 degree change as she becomes the second scariest person in court. Some people thought that it was her competitive side, which is true to some extent. Alas, there’s a deeper reason for her fierce attitude on court. 

Rumours said that back in middle school, Saito was close to Keyaki’s former middle blocker, Imaizumi. They were the unbeatable pair back in middle school, their team’s defence was at maximum thanks to Imaizumi’s strong blocks and Saito’s skills as a libero. Both of them made a promise to reunite again in high school- but that dream turned to shatters as Saito had failed in Keyaki’s entrance examination. 

Imaizumi then left the club due to an injury after their match with Akihabara. Some said there was more than just an injury, but Saito was left disappointed and angry, thus she stands on court not only for herself- but for her dear friend who sat at the stands during Interhigh last year. A lot of people commented that Saito could actually make it to the Top 3 Liberos in the prefecture, thus making people wonder why she had never received any invitation to go to the All-Youth Japan Volleyball Team Camp. Along with the skills that she possesses, Miyata actually looks up to Saito’s burning dedication a lot. 

Although, she sincerely wished that the libero would really tone down her cutesy acts at school grounds just down a scale or two…. 

Takase Mana became the manager at the start of the second year when Captain came to Class 3-6 during one lunch break. She wasn’t someone who shone much at school. People only refer to her as the one with really good English. That’s it. Just that. But Captain Sasaki saw that she could become the perfect manager for their team and took the chance. And after being rejected by various clubs, of course Takase accepted it immediately.

Learning about volleyball was something that sparked something inside of Takase, something she had thought she had long, long, lost ever since her last attempt to join a club during her 2nd year of high school: passion. She took notes at every single serve and term there is, suggesting a few that she thought would be suitable for the team in a particular scenario. (Ushio approves of 75% of the suggestions.) 

Joining the volleyball club was like a miracle that came in December for Takase as she now has friends from Class 3-7 and Class 3-4.

A simple summary for the third years was that they were a hectic bunch of kids. An odd combo, to be more exact, if one had the guts to say it in front of them. It was their final year together, so they’re trying to spend the remaining time they had enjoying what they do best. 

Act 3: Member Introduction (Second Years)

Class 2-5’s Kato Shiho (commonly known as Katoshi) can be more known as the team’s miracle ace. At a younger age, she was known for having a really bad body posture. Determined to fix her body posture before she entered grade school, her parents had introduced her to volleyball- a weird option indeed to help cope with your daughter’s back problems- but the said method did the trick. Katoshi’s raw athletic power was something even the boys wished they had, as she could even hit multiple home runs in baseball when they did it in PE. 

During the match with Keyaki the year before, Katoshi was the one who gave hope that Hinata could actually have the chance to steal a set from the scary powerhouse. Her service aces surprised both their opponents and the whole audience, this later contributing to her getting an invite to the All-Youth Japan Volleyball Team Camp in the same year. This would seem like a good starting point for Katoshi- if only she had the self-confidence to carry Hinata’s pride on her shoulder. (She did eventually go to the camp, thanks to Captain Sasaki convincing her to do it with the promise of a boba and dorayaki date once she returns.) 

Class 2-4’s Sasami (short for Sasaki Mirei) is also someone that opponents shouldn’t look down upon. Before we go on, it must be pointed out that no, Sasami and the captain aren’t siblings. Despite joining the club because none of the other clubs interested her, Sasami’s blocking skills went through a miraculous development after she had gone to the training camp that Nogi would hold annually after the tournament ended. The fact that Sasami had received the invitation to Nogi’s camp made a few other members become slightly curious, as before Katoshi joined the team, (the latter joined after summer, thus her debut was actually during the Spring High tournament where the unforgettable battle had occurred.) the future ace was actually Sasami. Despite some people trying to break the bond between the two, they actually don’t mind the situation. In fact, she and Katoshi are the weird bunch of people in the team- with Katoshi’s unique way of speech and Sasami’s frequent mispronunciations in her speech making people wonder if these two’s grades were alright. But that’s why there’s Miho as the third and final piece of the odd and mysterious group of second years. 

Watanabe Miho is Katoshi’s classmate, and also the reason why Katoshi had joined the volleyball club. It all started when Katoshi was in Miho’s team when they were playing volleyball for PE. The second Miho saw how Katoshi had  _ ‘accidentally’ _ thrown a perfect service ace towards their classmates, she knew that she had to recruit her to the club. Besides that, she is also well-known for being the 3rd member of Hinata’s blocking wall along with the Sasakis. Her experience from playing basketball for all these years also helped a lot as she had pulled a toss for Katoshi during the Spring High tournaments. The toss was a bit short, but it was still a good enough toss for the new ace to score a point. There are talks that while Katoshi is going to be the next ace, Miho would be taking the baton to become the next captain while Sasami would be the vice-captain. (Miho sincerely wonders if this would be a great position for Mirei considering that she often makes weird decisions in her life… She would actually be more comfortable if it was Konoka who would be in charge. But then again,) 

The second-year squad can be considered as the monsters of Hinata’s volleyball team at the moment. In fact, along with the third years, maybe this time, they can  _ actually _ dream of getting a chance to go to the Nationals. 


	2. tobe (or not tobe)

Act 4: Member Introduction (First Years)

Unlike Keyaki or Nogi who had gone to the middle school tournaments to see any interesting players that they could recruit into applying for their schools to join the volleyball club, Hinata did not do any of that. At all. 

Thus, when they actually have  **_the_ ** Kosaka Nao in their team this year, Kumi wondered if this was the fruits of her continuously annoying efforts to push the team to higher ground. Saito thought that she was dreaming. Everyone wondered if Kosaka actually got to the wrong school. When asked about her reason why she applied for Hinata, her answer was simple but somehow understandable. 

“It’s a public school. The school fees don't cost as much as Nogi nor Keyaki.” 

Kosaka Nao was a superstar in her middle school days. She was the talented setter who bought her school to become champions in last year’s tournament, as well as receiving the ‘Best Setter Award’ for the prefecture category. Which says a lot considering this is Tokyo we’re talking about. After her graduation, she had received numerous offers from other schools to join them, but as stated- those were all offers. Not recommendation letters that could help her in getting a scholarship. Thus she enrolled in the only public school that she passed the entrance exams in. 

Although her fame might make people think that she has a large circle of friends- in reality, her personality makes people struggle to try and make a proper conversation with her. Even her former teammates couldn’t find anything interesting about her except for her high game sense in volleyball. Kosaka joining the volleyball club was a blessing for the team who was in dire need of a setter as good as Neru. But of course, a new addition to the team would mean a lot of problems and catfights are bound to occur, no thanks to Kosaka’s unique choice of words. 

Kamimura Hinano is someone that no one in the volleyball club could point out what she’s thinking of. Her actions and words never fail to leave both Kasuga and Wakabayashi caught off-guard. Which does make her the perfect pinch server for the team, even if she still has a long way to go to perfect her serves. Hinano was there during last year’s Interhigh tournaments, originally tagging along with her friends who were interested to watch a Keyaki match. The match became the turning point for Hinano to apply for Hinata High as she had wanted to try volleyball after seeing how Keyaki’s pinch server made Saito  **_extremely_ ** pissed. People may think that since she joined the club at the same time as superstar Kosaka, she would be buried under her fame, but Kamimura is determined to show that sometimes, the best stars are the ones that you don't’ find at first sight. 

The first years  _ are _ cute, nobody could deny that. But everyone sincerely wishes that they were at least a bit more normal outside of the court. 

Act 5: New Line-Up

“Alright girls! Gather around!” Kasuga’s voice echoed through the court. Miyata and Manafi who were already beside him waited as the others approached them. Kasuga looked at Wakabayashi first, nudging him to start the meeting. 

So it’s the good news first then. 

“Miyata and Manafi will be taking your measurements for a new school jacket. Apparently the school has budgeted a large sum of money for the sports club this year, so everyone in the sports club is getting a new jacket.” The girls cheered at the news, since last year they didn’t have any time at all to prepare for jackets. “Don’t get too excited now, it won’t be as pretty as the other schools, but beggars can’t be pickers, right?” 

“I’ll bet it’s just a black jacket with blue lines because this school is too lazy to make a decent design.” Second-year Tomita complained under her breath. 

Her prediction isn’t that far off though. 

“You need to thank your captain and fellow friend Kato for the chance of us having jackets.” Wakabayashi talked back, as if he had heard what the former was muttering about. “Sasaki’s blackmail threat and Kato being invited to the All-Youth camp made the other teachers think that it’s actually worth investing in the sports club in this school- especially ours.” He looked at Kosaka at the far end. “And with a superstar setter in our team, I think we can even ask for a good lunch meal during the tournament. Oh, right. Speaking about tournaments, Kasuga has something to announce about this year’s starting line-up.” 

To be frank, Miyata still wished that Kasuga would at least change out of that pink vest when he’s inside the gym. But after hearing gossips from Kumi about how Kasuga’s taste of fashion is something that would make him get eternally banned from entering school grounds, that little wish remained in her heart. Kasuga took the clipboard that Wakabayashi was holding, coughing a few times before greeting them. 

Ah, here comes the bad news. 

“Sorry for the long wait! After observing your practice matches with each other and watching the recording from last year’s tournament-” Wakabayashi had to knock Kasuga’s head with Miyata’s clipboard since he didn’t realize that the girls’ faces had darkened once again. “What? I had to watch it for studying purposes. You guys shouldn’t be that hurt about it by now! You win games and you lose games.” 

Wow, Kasuga sure doesn’t have any filters towards his speech, huh? 

“And it’s from the losses where you learn your mistakes and rise again. Life is like that. You have your dark days and bright days. Reality sucks but we have to do our best to preserve.”

Yet his speeches are actually…. Inspiring. To an extent. Kinda.

“Anyway, here’s our starting line-up for the upcoming Interhigh!! Saito is our Libero since she’s the only one we got, Captain and Miho are our middle blockers while Kato and Sasami are the wing spikers. Also, Kosaka is our starting setter.” Kasuga turned to Ayaka, a bit of guilt shown on his face. “Are you okay with this? I know it hurts being demoted from the starting line-up to the benches.” 

Class 2-3’s Takamoto Ayaka. She joined the volleyball club last year around the same time as Katoshi. Surprisingly, she’s actually been friends with Saito since they were kids. (Saito moved to another neighborhood a few years after though, and that’s how she actually became friends with Imaizumi) With close to zero experiences in volleyball as she had actually switched clubs halfway through her first year, Takamoto had been the sudden replacement for Neru when she transferred out of their school. It was a mad decision, the teachers had told the captain at that time, but the captain believed that Takamoto would be good enough for them to spike her tosses if they properly planned her training.

And what Captain Sasaki meant by properly planned training was actually her and Ushio teaching her the basics from 0 at a very soldier-like state of intense training. (Ushio’s presence is to make the hell-like training seem less scary.) It was worth it, as the others could spike her tosses well enough for them to advance far enough in the tournament to meet the said school that had stolen their former setter away. 

“It’s okay. I still have a lot of things to improve, anyway. Besides, she  **_is_ ** a well-known setter.” The way Takamoto had probably accepted her fate of not being able to stand in court anymore the second she had met Kosaka was something that made Miyata’s heart hurt. All she could do was slowly pat her back, a poor attempt of telling her it’s okay. Usually, during times like this, it would be best to let the person heal by themselves, but Miyata believes that an effort (or emotional support) is still something needed. 

“Alright, then! Well, that’s your starting lineup for Interhigh! We will be doing a second meeting once Interhigh is over to reshuffle the lineup!!” Wakabayashi could only facepalm himself as Kasuga once again had accidentally said something that was definitely not needed at that very second. 

“Wait, why do we need to reshuffle when Interhigh is over? Couldn’t we just use the same lineup by then?” Kato asked with pure innocence and curiosity. “The current lineup is by far the strongest one we had, and I’m saying this from someone who joined  **_after_ ** last year’s Interhigh.” 

“Ah, Kato. I’m sure you know that the Spring Tournament is held at the end of the year, right?” She nodded once at Kasuga’s question. 

“And you  **_do_ ** realize that our current lineup has two third-years who will graduate by March next year, right?” 

“So? They can still join, right? Graduation isn’t the problem here. I know a lot of schools where the third years still stayed after Interhigh to play in the Spring High tournaments.” Kasuga let out a tiny, sinister laugh at their ace’s gullibleness. 

“True, they are still eligible to join. But, the university entrance exam is a problem. Am I right, captain?” 

The whole team turned towards the captain who was more quiet than usual ever since the beginning of the discussion. “We promised to talk about this after Interhigh.” That was the only sentence that she could mutter up at that very moment. Katoshi wasn’t happy at all upon hearing the captain’s response.

“I don’t get it.” 

“My parents want me to go to a really good university with a scholarship. My current grades are decent enough to go to the university they want me to go to, but not good enough to apply for a scholarship.” 

“So you’re retiring after Interhigh?” The nod from the captain confirmed Kato’s question as the rest of the group remained quiet, processing the new information. “It’s not just me though, Naccho’s retiring too. We talked about this before the new term started.” Ushio nodded along, a slight grime expression appearing on her face. Saito on the other hand was still as stoic as ever. 

“But Kyoko isn’t leaving the team?!?? Why are you two leaving so soon????” Sasami asked. 

“Well, if I have to be frank… It’s not like we have the skills to become professional volleyball players like Kyoko. Might as well pursue something that fits us better, I guess.” 

“But you pushed so hard for us to join the tournament last year!??! Don’t tell me you did that just for the sake of your university application to look good???” It was Miho’s turn to ask the captain a sensitive question. 

“I do like playing volleyball. I really, really do. But let’s face it, even if I and Naccho leave, the team is still strong.”

“You’re not answering Miho’s question.” Finally, Saito spoke up. “Did you do all of that just for the sake of looking good in your university application?” Both the captain and vice-captain were silent for the next few minutes. The silence became the answer instead, as the captain turned away. 

“My parents said that it would be weird to become just a vice-captain and a captain but not end up appearing in any tournaments.” 

The last sentence was the final nail to the coffin as Kato snapped and stormed out of the gym, slamming the door with all the raw strength and anger she’s keeping inside. Wakabayashi took Miyata’s clipboard once again and hit Kasuga head-on, nagging at him to learn to be more considerate towards the girls.

“You said you wanted me to help coach your girls, and I’m doing it- just in my way! If they’re going to fight just because their beloved captain isn’t going to be with them until the end then that’s not my problem- Eeek!!” Kasuga’s quarrel with Wakabayashi ended abruptly as a volleyball suddenly flew between the two of them. The two adults turned to see the culprit, only for their eyes to quiver with fear to see a very pissed off Captain Sasaki.

“I know I was the one who asked to be dropped after Interhigh is over, but did you really have to announce it before Interhigh even started?” She had another ball in her hands at the moment, and Kasuga is scared to death if she decided to spike it at his head instead. “Look, we’ve been through a lot in one year. Our original setter moved schools. We had to go against her and her powerhouse-level of a school in the quarter-finals. We had memories with her. Do you think we wouldn’t have mixed emotions back then? We’re only teenagers, not some professional volleyball players, for goodness sake.” The other members stood silent as the captain rambled on. 

She had been keeping all this frustration to herself for so long. It was about time she exploded anyway.

“Yes, I did push the school to let us join the tournament for the sake of my own credits. But I  **_do_ ** love playing volleyball. It’s just like I said- as much as I like it, my skills aren’t good enough to go pro. My parents wouldn’t want me to become one either. If that makes me seem like the bad guy, then so be it. At least I did something to change the school’s opinion to use their funds on us for once.” 

“Katoshi doesn’t mean any harm. I’ll go get her.” She turned towards the rest of the members, her composure returning back to normal. “You guys resume training. If Coach says anything stupid again, you guys have my permission to spike accurately on his face. Think of it as practicing your serves too.” 

Kasuga didn’t have the time to nag at the captain as she ran towards the door of the gym, concerned and worried about their ace. Wakabayashi stopped him from chasing her, shaking his head as he pointed towards the others who were already holding a volleyball each. 

Was it too late to resign from becoming their coach? That was probably the only thing that was running through Kasuga’s mind at that very moment. 

Kumi looked through the other gym besides the current gym they were using, the girls’ toilet, the nearby track & field. Katoshi was nowhere in sight. She could only curse at Kasuga inside her own thoughts as she tried to think where else could the second year be hiding at. Her memory suddenly recalled a place, and the captain made a U-turn back towards the school building. 

How could she have forgotten the first place that they have actually met each other? 

Instead of taking the usual right to enter the gym once more, she took a left this time, walking towards the store where most of the equipment is kept. (Most schools have this store inside the gymnasium, but their school was really on a whole new level of budgeting that they decided to keep  **_all_ ** the sports clubs’ equipment in the same big store. Captain Sasaki opened the door and her lips curled upwards upon seeing Katoshi laying facedown on the landing mat for high jumping. 

“Go away.” That was the only thing that Katoshi mumbled, her face still facing the mattress and not looking at her captain. “I just need a few minutes to calm down. I’ll get over it.”

“Sure, go on. Continue sulking up in the store while all of us are practicing our asses off so that we can make sure we can go to the semi finals this time.” Katoshi looked up immediately, her brows were knitted together before she sat properly on the mattress. “Said the person who’s doing this just to look good in her applications.” 

“Guilty as charged.” Kumi lifted her hands in the air, a sign of defeat. She took a seat beside the second-year, despite the second-year slightly scoffing in protest. 

“You know, this is why I hate being in clubs. You meet new people. Then you get attached to someone, and then you have to learn how to say goodbye to them when the time comes. It’s not really a nice experience, you know.”

“I understand well. Remember how we cried so badly when we gave Mao flowers during her graduation? Somehow, she still managed to beat us by crying out even louder than us.” They both giggled at the memory at the thought of their manager’s graduation last year. “By the way, Mao’s really happy now.”

“I’m glad. She went through a lot too. Just like you.” Katoshi remained still on the mattress, her fingers were drawing doodles on the surface. “Listen, Kumi. I… I’m sorry for lashing out just now. It’s just that every time we’re on the court together, I just forget that we’re actually a year apart. And by this time next year, you won’t be here with us. That’s actually a really scary thought, you know. Considering we won’t be where we are right now if it wasn’t for you. Even if your intentions were a bit… ill-mattered?”

“Hey, I just wanted to appear at least once in a match. Don’t put all the credit on me. Miho and you played a bigger part in this. Miho for managing to encourage you to join us, and you for showing me that we'll always have a chance if we work hard enough.” Katoshi turned away at the sudden praise the captain gave her. “Remember when I said that I’ll bring you to the new boba shops and cafes if you agree to go to the National Youth Camp?”

“You are not trying to bribe me with the same offer, are you?” Katoshi turned to face her captain once more, eyes rolling at the former’s statement. 

“No, just saying that once I’m out of school, we can do that more often since I won’t be a volleyball player anymore by then.”

“Haha, very funny.” She turned away again, a bit hurt and clueless at what the captain was trying to say. “I’ve thought about what you said when we went to the boba shop. You know, the one about me going pro.” The captain’s eyes sparkled in interest, leaning over to hear more clearly what Katoshi was about to say.

“I do like volleyball. I like it. Playing with you guys is fun. The camp was also fun, there were a lot of amazing setters. I’m sure Kosaka will come along with me this year. I told my family about it, they’re okay with whatever choice I make. As long as it makes me happy.” 

“I may go pro. Maybe. I don't know. It’s still a blur for now. But my main priority now is to make sure we can play for as long as we can in Interhigh so that you can play with us even longer. And that’s an ace’s promise.” She placed her fist to her chest, like how a soldier would do while they vow to protect their beloved country until the last drop of blood they had. 

Kumi’s smile widened even more as she pulled Katoshi to stand before pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, Shiho. That means a lot to me.”

“Now, let’s get back to practice. I’m sure you want to spike Kasuga’s face too, right?”

Act 6: Strength

Things went slightly calmer now that days have passed. With the addition of Kosaka into the team, the team’s dynamic had gone through a huge change indeed. 

“Kato-senpai, how was my toss just now? Was it too high, or was it too fast?”

“Call me Katoshi!! It feels weird to hear someone who’s not a teacher call me Kato. Also, your tosses are really good!! It was really, really, really easy to spike!!” The ace gave the younger one a thumbs up while giving her comment. Kosaka gave a small smile, satisfied that her tosses are still good.

But Kosaka doesn’t realize until it’s too late that not everyone gives nice comments like Katoshi.

“Hey, Kosaka? Your toss just now was a bit too long. I don’t have insane arm strength like Katoshi’s, so a shorter toss would be really appreciated.”

Watanabe Miho is probably the first human who had actually made a very direct comment about Kosaka’s serves in her years of playing volleyball. Don’t get her wrong, Kosaka can accept comments about her tosses, but that happens after she asks about it first. This time, Kosaka didn’t have the chance to ask for it yet, but the middle blocker had already spoken up first. 

It was also the first time that someone had spoken to Kosaka so casually, she was slightly taken aback for a few seconds. “I- I see. I’ll take note of that. Thank you, Watanabe-senpai.” She waited for a while to see if Miho would ask her to call her by her nickname too, but it didn’t come. Oh. okay then. 

They were continuing their practice when the door suddenly opened and the girls were surprised to see Takase and Miyata carrying a bunch of stuff entering the gym. There was also a third person who was walking behind them while carrying a few boxes too. 

“Oh? Kawata!!! What are you doing here?!?” The second-years came to gather around the managers and Kawata, taking the boxes from them as they placed them on the floor. Judging from how casually the second years are talking with this person, Kosaka can only assume that she is a fellow second-year too. The said person let out a soft giggle before she noticed Kosaka’s presence.

“No way!! Is that really-” She covered her mouth, eyes widened in disbelief as she tried to calm down. “I heard from Nogi that they were so frustrated that  **_the_ ** Kosaka Nao didn’t enter their school, but who knew she actually chose our school instead???”

Katoshi and Miho noticed that Kosaka was just standing there, watching them from behind. Being the good senpai, Katoshi pulled Kosaka to their circle, much to Kawata’s excitement. “Kosaka, this is Kawata Hina. She is a huge volleyball geek, although she doesn’t play sports. She’s also the head of our cheerleading squad.”

“We have our own personal cheerleading squad?” 

“Not really, but Hina tries to come to our games if she doesn’t have any extra classes to attend to.” Kawata pushed the bunch of second years away as she approached Kosaka even closer. “May I have your autograph? That way, years later when you’re super famous, I can show off that I have your sign since high school!!”

“Might as well save your diary logs about Katoshi too, while you’re at it.” Miho laughed at Mirei’s joke as Hina only stuck her tongue out as an act of protest. Kosaka didn’t really understand the situation, but she just signed the random piece of unused tissue that Kawata found in her pocket. Mirei joked about how she could auction the tissue in a few years at a high price, which Kawata shoved it off saying this is for her personal collection. 

“By the way, I actually stopped by to give you guys a present!! Open up the boxes, although I believe that the second years’ boxes are over there!” By now, the whole team had gathered around Miyata, Takase, and Kawata. They each took the respective boxes the three of them had pointed out and opened it at the same time.

“Our own jackets!!!”

“I can’t believe they actually invested in getting us our own jackets!! Even if it is a bit dull..” Tomita commented as she tried it out immediately. The black jacket had blue lines along the arms of the jacket, probably the only part that showed the colors of their high school. At the back of it, the kanji for Hinata High School’s Girls Volleyball Club was written in the standard Kanji font for printing clothes. 

“The principal told us that you can’t draw on the jackets like what you did last year to the basketball club’s jackets.” Takase reminded Kumi, who almost choked upon hearing the warning. 

“It’s not our fault we had to change the Basketball Club to the Volleyball Club.”

“That doesn’t mean you can put any catchphrases on the jacket too, Captain.” 

“Tell that to  **_them_ ** .” She pointed towards the trio of second-years who were probably planning to spray on their jackets again. “ **_Especially_ ** Tomita and Konoka. Those two are probably brewing up something to put on their jackets as we speak.” Takase rolled her eyes as she passed the message to Miyata instead. They both watched as Miyata had somehow managed to stop them before they doodled on the jackets. (Miyata’s “The school gave us this thanks to Katoshi and Kosaka! Please stop causing trouble for once in my life!” could be heard very clearly from where they stood.)

“I also have another surprise for you! Think of it as a gift from us!!” She pulled Kawata along as they both climbed to the second floor of the gym. Both girls seemed excited while tying something on the bars. From above, Takase’s voice echoed throughout the whole gym as she gave a small speech before showing them their gift.

“Remember how last year we saw Keyaki’s banner and got really impressed by it?” 

Ah, how could they forget? The words 不協和音 was written in the most aggressive way in white as the dark green background gave a fearful impression for those who saw the banner. Meanwhile, far across the court, Nogi’s  シンクロニシティ may be written in Katakana, but they were somehow able to turn the strong wordings that Katakana usually gave away to become something very feminine-like and elegant. Which screamed the traits of every player in Nogi. All the members remembered how every school had their own banners- except for them. 

“This took some time and money to make, but we were able to convince both Wakabayashi sensei and Coach Kasuga to lend us their money to make this possible! Behold!” Kawata and Takase pulled the ribbons at the same time, and the banner flew as majestically as the words that were written on it. 

_ 「 誰より高く飛べ 」 _

“We thought about what we should put as the banner for Hinata’s volleyball team.. Then I remembered that our team’s jumping reach is a bit higher compared to the others! I hope you guys like it!” Kawata and Takase became a bit worried as no one in the gymnasium gave any reaction. That is, until Tomita started to cry out loudly.

“It’s perfect!! Also, it makes me feel like writing that on the back of my jacket!!”    
  


“Tomita, please don’t do any more vandalism for the time being!!!” The others laughed out quite hideously at Miyata’s remark as the sound of tears and laughter mixed together among the members. It was like a dream. 

The words were perfect for them, it just somehow  **_screamed_ ** Hinata.

The captain felt someone softly tugging her to the side. She turned to see Katoshi standing beside, a tiny smile appearing on her face as she held her jacket tightly to her chest. “I’ll make sure you’ll get to wear this jacket on the court for as long as I can. I promise.” 

Captain Sasaki Kumi felt like all the verbal attacks she had received from the teachers, the stupid mockery some of the students had given her, the discouraging act of Neru leaving them, her parents’ constant nagging for her to change to a better club- all the pain that she had to went through became worth it upon hearing those words. 

\----------

The day finally arrived. 

It was a nerve-wracking moment from the second they had stepped down from the bus. A year ago, they were lending the basketball club’s extra old jackets to use as their own for the whole tournament. While they had more than enough members for the starting lineup, they didn’t have many chances to have practice matches with other schools. (This was due to the fact the teacher who was originally in-charge of them suddenly ended up in the hospital.) Despite all that, the girls had managed to surprise everyone in the crowd despite the astounding things they were lacking. 

But this year, it was different. They had proper training. Kasuga’s training regime was twice as bad as Kumi’s self-planned training. They had funds. Now, all they wanted is to prove to everyone that they too are a team that is worth being feared of.

_“Hey, look!! It’s Hinata High!!”_

_“They’re not wearing a second-hand jacket this time!?! The power of having someone being recruited by the National Youth Camp.”_

_“Wait, is that the Kosaka Nao??? What is she doing in Hinata??? With a talent like her, she should have ended up in either Keyaki or Nogi!!”_

_“Such a pity to see some pretty good talents wasted in a run-down public school.”_

That was the last straw before the captain stopped and turned towards the crowd of people who bad-mouthed them. The sudden change of expression scared the others as the words that left her mouth scared the crowd even more.

“It’s true, we’re a public school that doesn’t receive as many funds compared to most other schools. We had to lend other club’s jackets last year. But does that really make you have any right to mock us?” Without waiting for the other side’s response, she left to enter the venue. The others followed along. Their steps became quieter as they left the scene. 

“This year, we’ll show everyone what we’re really made of,” Kumi smirked at the end. “And by then, would they know what Hinata High is made of.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miyata: We gave Kasuga the tag, right?  
> Takase: We did, right?  
> Miyata: So why can't he enter the venue?
> 
> Wakabayashi: He's uh.. trying to convince the staff he is a coach and not some creepy stalker.
> 
> Kumi: Told him that he should change out of the pink vest and white tights.

**Author's Note:**

> i had to stop this before the match because i cannot write actions to save my soul. comments and kudos are appreciated.


End file.
